Method and package for marketing golf tees

ABSTRACT

A package of golf tees contains tees of different lengths and is marketed at a point of purchase as containing a number of tees sufficient to play an integral number of rounds of golf. The tees are marked with colors or other indicia to signify their relative lengths.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/679,682 entitled “Golf Tee Packaging and Marketing,” filed May 11, 2006. The disclosure of that provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In addition, the present invention utilizes some of the concepts disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/023,367, filed Dec. 29, 2004 and entitled “Golf Tees and Method of Marketing Same”. The entire disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains generally to golf tees and in particular to methods, systems and packaging for marketing golf tees.

2. Description of the Related Art

A golf tee enables a golfer to start every hole with a tee to elevate the golf ball to a desired position above the ground. Typically, golf tees are made of wood or plastic and have a shaft with a substantially constant diameter cross section over a predetermined portion of its length. The shaft converges to a pointed end adapted for insertion into the ground. The other end of the tee shaft flares smoothly outwardly and terminates in a concave spherical segment on which the golf ball is seated.

The desired height of the golf ball above ground is determined by the distance or depth that the pointed end of the tee is inserted into the ground. The ball height above the ground, depending upon the player's action during a golf swing, plays a part in the flight path and distance that the ball will travel when hit. If the ball is set too high above the ground, the ball will be more inclined to travel very high but not very far down the fairway. If the ball height is too low, the ball will tend to not achieve optimal vertical height and it may not, therefore, travel very far horizontally down the fairway.

The height of the ball above the ground for each tee shot will vary from golfer to golfer based on an individual's swing and, importantly, the golf club being used. In other words, it is desirable to have the clubface meet the ball at an optimum angle for each golf club. The advent of driver club heads of vastly different size has resulted in greater importance being attached to teeing a ball to the proper height.

Depending on the length and or contour of a particular golf hole, a golfer will use different golf clubs off the tee. For example, a driver with a large head may be used on some holes, a three-wood or other smaller head club may be used on other holes, and irons may be used on still other holes. Importantly, tees of different lengths should be used with these different clubs to optimize the positioning of the golf ball relative to the club face at impact. Unfortunately, many golfers, before starting a round of golf, typically grab a handful of tees from a bucket containing tees which are all the same standard length. They then use the same length tee for each drive irrespective of the club being used for the drive. The result is usually a less than optimum drive off the tee.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the invention comprises packaging golf tees of different sizes in the same package or container to meet the needs of a golfer in one or more typical rounds of golf. Since tees are typically lost or broken after being used in playing one or more holes, a plurality of tees are provided in each package. Whatever that plurality is, the package is preferably marketed (e. g., by means of printed indicia on the package, signage at the point of purchase, etc.) as containing a Round Of Tees™ (i.e., sufficient tees to play a round of golf). In one embodiment of the invention, based on an exemplary supposition that a tee is used for two holes before being lost or broken), there are nine tees provided in each package. Further, since the typical 18-hole golf course has four par three holes, four par five holes and ten par four holes, a package for one golf round might contain: two short or standard tees for use with irons on the four short par three holes; two extra long tees for use with large head drivers on the four long par five holes; and five middle length tees for use with smaller head woods or irons on the ten mid-length par four holes. If a package contains sufficient tees for two rounds of golf, the number of tees of each length would be doubled, for three rounds the number would be tripled, etc. It is to be understood that the number of tees of each length in the package can vary from the two, two and five combination; that is, the combination can be three of each, or any other combination. Likewise, the number of tees in the package need not be limited to nine but can be as many as eighteen or more (e.g., spares) per round. Further, the package may include sufficient tees for more than a single round of golf. Still further, the package may include only tees of two different lengths or tees of four or more different lengths. Finally, it is within the scope of the invention to provide in a single package: only two tees, each having a different length; or only three tees, each having a different length; or only four tees, each having a different length.

It is a primary but not the sole object of the invention to provide a method and packaging for marketing golf tees so as to render it more convenient for golfers in using the tees during a round of golf.

In a broader sense it is an object of the invention to market golf tees in a package containing golf tees of different lengths. It is also an object of the invention to place indicia on the tees to indicate their length at a glass, thereby facilitating the tee selection process by the golfer for each hole.

The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.

The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following definitions, descriptions and descriptive figures of specific embodiments thereof wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components. While these descriptions go into specific details of the invention, it should be understood that variations may and do exist and would be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the descriptions herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a through 1 d illustrate golf tees of different lengths that may be used in the method and packaging of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in plan of a package of golf tees according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of golf tees being loaded into a package in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed explanations of the drawings and of the preferred embodiments reveal the methods and apparatus of the present invention.

More specifically, golf tees packaged and marketed according to the invention may be contained in plastic bags, blister pack containers, boxes, holster strips, or any other form of packaging suitable for a particular retail venue, whether it is a sporting goods store, a golf specialty shop, a pro shop at a golf course, etc. The size of the package depends on the number of tees in the package and the number of rounds of golf to be accommodated by the number of tees in the package. As noted, for the preferred embodiment described herein, there are sufficient tees for one round of golf, and there is one tee provided to function for two holes, although it is within the scope of the invention to provide one tee per hole, one tee per three holes, one tee per four holes, etc. It is also preferred that the package contain tees of one length for the par three holes, tees of a somewhat longer length for the par four holes, and tees of a still greater length for the par five holes. For example, the shortest golf tee would typically have a length of 2⅛ inches; the medium size golf tee would have a length of 2¾ inches; and the longest golf tee 20 would have a length of between 3¼ inches and 4 inches. Alternatively, the lengths may be 2¾ inches for the shortest tee, 3¼ inches for the medium tee and 4 inches for the longest tee. It will be appreciated that other lengths may be used as desired.

The primary concept of the invention is to provide tees of different lengths in the same package or other unit at the point of purchase. Secondarily, the number of tees in the package or unit corresponds to the number of tees typically needed in playing an integral number (e.g., one through fifty) of rounds (i.e., eighteen holes) of golf. In this regard, a package or unit can contain or hold anywhere from two to eighteen or more tees per round with two to four or more different tee lengths. Clearly, if only two tees are packaged together, the golfer would re-use each tee numerous times during a round. On the other hand, if eighteen tees are packaged together for a round, a different tee would be provided for each hole. Spare tees may be included in the event one or more tees are lost.

The individual tees preferably bear numbers corresponding to their lengths or are otherwise coded (e.g., by color, striping, indicia, etc.) to visably indicate their lengths. Alternatively, the tees may be marked with the type of club best suited for use with the tee, e.g., “Driver”, “3-Wood”, 5-Iron”, etc.

Referring first to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D, golf tees of different lengths are marked with a visible indicium or indicator corresponding to or associated with their length. The visible indicium is part of a coding scheme comprising a plurality of unique visible indicia, each unique indicium assigned to a different golf tee length or the configuration of a golf club for which the particular tee is best suited.

FIG. 1A illustrates a golf tee 10 of a longest length, FIG. 1B illustrates a golf tee 20 of a second longest length, FIG. 1C illustrates a golf tee 30 of a third longest length and FIG. 1D illustrates a golf tee 40 of a shortest length. Each golf tee has a shaft, a pointed tip and a concave, generally conical ball support. For example, golf tee 20 has a shaft 12, a tip 14 and a ball support 16. Golf tee 20 has a shaft 22, a tip 24 and a ball support 26. Golf tee 30 has a shaft 32, a tip 34 and a ball support 36. Golf tee 40 has a shaft 42, a tip 44 and a ball support 46.

There is a visible indicium on each golf tee 10, 20, 30 and 40 according to the aforementioned coding scheme whereby a unique visible indicium is assigned to a different golf tee length. That is, golf tee 10 has a visible indicium 19, golf tee 20 has a visible indicium 29, golf tee 30 has a visible indicium 39 and golf tee 40 has a visible indicium 49. The visible indicium may be a circumferential band or stripe around the shaft of the golf tee, where the band has a color such that a different color is assigned to each golf tee length. For example, the visible indicium 19 may be a blue color band on golf tee 10, the visible indicium 29 may be a green color band on golf tee 20, the visible indicium 39 may be a yellow color band on golf tee 30 and the visible indicium 49 may be a red color band on golf tee 40. Thus, a color-coded scheme is defined for the visible indicium to easily identify and differentiate each of the different length golf tees. For purposes of the figures, the colored bands are indicated by different cross-hatching patterns. While the band is referred to as a circumferential band, it should be understood that it may not extend entirely around the circumference of the golf tee shaft.

In addition or as an alternative to the above-described visible indicium, each different length tee may be assigned a different name to suggest its relative size. The name can also be used as a trademark for the golf tees. For example, a name for golf tee 10 is “EXTRA-LONG”, a name for golf tee 20 is “LONG”, a name for golf tee 30 is “MEDIUM”, and a name for golf tee 10 is “SHORT”. More creative names may also be desirable and still convey the relative size of the tee.

The lengths of the golf tees 10, 20, 30 and 40 may of course vary, as well as the lengths of their respective visible indicium, e.g., color bands or stripes. For example, the “SHORT” golf tee 40 has a length of 2⅛ inches. The “MEDIUM” golf tee 30 has a length of 2¾ inches. The “LONG” golf tee 20 has a length of 3¼ inches. The “EXTRA-LONG” golf tee 10 has a length of 4 inches. For example, the golf tees 10 and 20 are longer to allow for better set-up and alignment with the “sweet spot” of larger volume driver club heads.

The shorter golf tee 40 may be suitable for iron play or dry hard conditions where it may be difficult to penetrate the ground with a longer tee. The longer golf tee 10, 20 and 30 may be suitable for large volume driver club heads. In addition, the longest golf tee 10 has the greatest flexibility and is stable in soft soil conditions for use with large volume driver club heads.

The visible indicium may be positioned on the golf tees, and their lengths chosen to facilitate accurate insertion of the tee in the ground to a sufficient depth to ensure that the golf tee supports a golf ball at the same desired height above the ground. Said another way, the visible indicia are positioned on the golf tees such that when a golf tee is inserted in the ground it supports a golf ball at a prescribed height for a corresponding golf club head size. Written instructions may be printed on a bag or other package for the tees that instruct the golfer to insert the tee such that some portion or marking on the visible indicium is aligned with ground level to achieve the proper support height for a golf ball. For example, the marking or portion may be the top end of the band indicated at reference numeral 17 for the visible indicium 19 of golf tee 10. The golf tees 20, 30 and 40 would be used in a similar manner. Under such circumstances, the golf ball is positioned at a prescribed optimum height for the golf club that the player uses.

The visible indicium may take on a variety of other forms. Any marking of a distinguishable pattern may be suitable. For example, the visible indicium may be longitudinal or helical or other shape stripe. Yet another type of indicium would be a defined number of bands or stripes (helical or straight) around the shaft of the tee (not necessarily entirely around the tee shaft) where the number of stripes corresponds to a length of the golf tee. For example, golf tee 10 may have four stripes or bands, golf tee 20 may have three stripes or bands, golf tee 30 may have two stripes or bands and golf tee 40 may have one stripe or band. Furthermore, each of the stripes or bands may take on a different color according to the color-coded scheme described above.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, according to the present invention, tees of different lengths, such as the tees 10, 20, 30 and 40 described above, are provided in a common package 50, typically a plastic bag. It is to be understood that other forms of packaging may be employed within the scope of the invention, such as plastic, metal or cardboard boxes, racks, open strips or any other common unit for holding or containing the different length tees together at the point of purchase. As shown, nine tees of three different lengths are provided in the illustrated package. For such an embodiment it is assumed that the purchaser will use each tee at least twice (i.e., for two different holes). The length assortment for the illustrated embodiment includes three tees of each length. However, it is may be desirable to provide two long tees for use on the four par five holes typically present on a golf course, five medium size tees for the ten par four holes, and two short tees for the four par three holes.

It will be appreciated that tees of four different lengths may be provided in a package to accommodate play on holes that are extra-long par fives or par fours.

If a package contains sufficient tees for two rounds of golf, the number of tees of each length would be doubled, for three rounds the number would be tripled, etc. It is to be understood that the number of tees of each length in the package can vary from the two, two and five and three of each combinations described above; that is, according to the invention, the particular combination can be changed as long as different length tees are provided in the same package. Likewise, the number of tees in the package need not be limited to nine but can be as many as eighteen or more (e.g., spares) per round.

The invention in its broadest sense comprises packaging golf tees of different sizes in the same package or container to meet the needs of a golfer. Thus, package containing only two tees of different lengths, or only three tees of different lengths, or only four tees of different lengths, falls within the scope of the invention. The tees are preferably marked or color coded to indicate their relative lengths. From a marketing perspective, the sale of each package 50 of tees is promoted, typically on the package and/or at a point of purchase display, as containing sufficient number of tees for use in one or other integral number of rounds of golf. One of the many types of point of purchase displays is described and illustrated in the aforesaid U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/023,367. Other display arrangements may also be used to promote the package of the present invention.

The packages 50 typically bear trademarks as well as other indicia that identify the fact that the package contains tees of different lengths for use on golf holes of respective lengths. For example, if package 50 contains two short tees 40, five medium tees 30 and two long tees 20, the package may bear a legend such as “two SHORTEE™, five PROLENGTH™, and two PROLENGTH-PLUS™ tees” to indicate the contents of the package. If the package contains two short tees 40, four medium tees 30, two long tees 20, and one extra-long tee 10, the legend might be “two SHORTEE™, four PROLENGTH™, two PROLENGTH-PLUS™ and one PROLENGTH-MAX™ tees” to suggest the number and size of each tee in the package. SHORTEE™, PROLENGTH™, PROLENGTH-PLUS™ and PROLENGTH-MAX™ are trademarks of Pride manufacturing Company, LLC. The package may also be labeled to indicate that the number of tees contained therein is sufficient for use in playing one round of golf (or any integral number of rounds).

Although the preferred embodiment of the package 50 is a plastic bag, it should be noted that the tees of different lengths can be marketed in boxes, strips (possibly strips adapted to be removably secured to golf bags), blister packs, etc.

Having described preferred embodiments of a new and improved method and package for marketing golf tees of different lengths, it is believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings set forth herein. It is therefore to be understood that all such variations, modifications and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 

1. A package of golf tees containing at least two tees of different lengths.
 2. The package of golf tees of claim 1 wherein the contained tees consist of tees of three different lengths, one length suitable for use on short golf holes, a second length suitable for use on medium length golf holes, and a third length suitable for use on long golf holes.
 3. The package of golf tees of claim 2 wherein said one length is the shortest of the three lengths and said third length is the longest of the three lengths.
 4. The package of golf tees of claim 1 wherein said number of tees is chosen for use during an integral number of rounds of golf to be played with the tees in the container.
 5. The package of golf tees of claim 4 wherein said number of tees is nine tees for each of said number of rounds.
 6. The package of golf tees of claim 4 wherein said integral number of rounds is one and said number of tees is nine.
 7. The package of golf tees of claim 6 wherein the contained tees consist of tees of three different lengths, one length suitable for use on short golf holes, a second length suitable for use on medium length golf holes, and a third length suitable for use on long golf holes.
 8. The package of golf tees of claim 7 wherein the contained tees consist of two tees of said one length, five tees of said second length and two tees of said third length.
 9. The package of golf tees of claim 7 wherein the contained tees consist of three tees of said one length, three tees of said second length and three tees of said third length.
 10. The package of golf tees of claim 1 wherein the contained tees consist of the same number of tees of each different length.
 11. The package of golf tees of claim 1 wherein the package bears indicia indicating the number and length of tees contained in the package.
 12. The package of claim 1 wherein said tees bear markings such as color-coding or indicia signifying their relative lengths
 13. A method of marketing golf tees comprising placing golf tees of different size in a single package, and offering said package for sale.
 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising placing the single package in a point of purchase display.
 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising promoting the sale of said package as containing tees sufficient for use in a single round of golf.
 16. The method of claim 13 further comprising promoting the sale of said package as containing tees sufficient for use in an integral number of rounds of golf.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein the placing of tees in said package includes choosing tees of three different lengths of tees including one length suitable for use on short golf holes, a second length suitable for use on medium length golf holes, and a third length suitable for use on long golf holes.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the tees placed in said package include two tees of said one length, five tees of said second length and two tees of said third length.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the tees placed in said package consist of the same number of tees of each different length.
 20. The method of claim 13 further comprising marking said package to indicate the number and length of tees contained in the package, and marking each tee to indicate its relative length. 